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Monday, August 20, 2012

Giveaway: Choke and Interview with Diana Lopez

Choke by Diana Lopez

A heartfelt novel about the disturbing "choking game" trend -- and one girl's struggle for self-acceptance.
If she could -- if her parents would let her -- eighth-grader Windy would change everything about herself. She'd get highlights in her hair, a new wardrobe; she'd wear makeup. But nothing ever changes. The mean girls at school are still mean, and Windy's best friend Elena is still more interested in making up words than talking about boys.
And then one day, Windy gets the change she's been looking for. New girl Nina -- impossibly cool, confident, and not afraid of anyone -- starts hanging out with Windy! Nina even wants to be "breath sisters." Windy isn't sure what that means, exactly, but she knows she wants to find out. It sounds even better than a BFF.
Windy is right, at first. Being a breath sister gains her a whole new set of friends, girls she feels closer to and cooler with than anyone else. But her inclusion in the new crowd comes at a dangerous price. Windy wants to change everything about her life ... but is she really willing to give up everything in the process?

Diana's site: http://www.dianalopezbooks.com/
-physical copy, open to US only
-Fill out Rafflecopter to enter
-Ends on 9/10
-Make sure to check out and comment on our interview below for an extra entry

Giveaway provided by Diana, mailed by me after read and review. I will mail out probably on the 20th because I will be in Disney the weeks prior. Thanks!

--The Twitter version: tell us about your book in 140
characters or less.

Windy wants hang out with the popular kids, but in order to
do so, she has to betray her best friend and play the dangerous choking game.

--How did you get the idea for the story?

I used to teach at a middle school where some students were
playing this game. I nearly forgot about
it, but then the CDC published a story about how deaths from the choking game
are often mistaken for suicide.
Suddenly, it was on all the news programs, but no one seemed to be
addressing the kids. I don’t know any
teens who watch Dateline or CNN, so how are they going to learn about the
dangers of this game? That’s why I had to
write this book.

--Which character would you
most/least like to have dinner with?

I would most like to have dinner
with Elena, my protagonist’s best friend.
She’s confident, funny, and probably interested in watching Star Trek
reruns with me. I would least like to
have dinner with Liz. She’s a total
follower who would probably roll her eyes at everything I said.

--Do you have any other works in progress? Any teasers or
release dates?

Yes, my next book is called ASK MY MOOD RING HOW I
FEEL. It also features middle school
characters and will be released in Spring 2013.

--What book(s) is your book’s “cousin”? (Similar set-up or
style)

I like to write books with a combination of humor and crisis
and about real girls in real situations—cousins would be Judy Blume’s YA books,
Heather Vogel Frederick’s Mother-Daughter Book Club series, Justina Chen
Headley’s books, and on the younger side, books by Wendy Mass or Grace Lin.

--If a fairy godmother said you could be put into the world of your favorite
book for 24 hours, which book would you pick and why?

I fantasize about being able to travel to other worlds, so
I’d definitely pick a book from the Hainish series by Ursula K. Le Guin. My favorites are Rocannon’s World, The Left
Hand of Darkness, and The Dispossessed.
Le Guin was the best at creating vivid scenes in places that don’t
really exist.

--Do you need anything to write (music, coffee, etc)? Are there any songs on
your playlist- songs that inspired you or that were playing while you wrote?

I need absolute quiet so I can hear the voices in the
story. I love writing in a room with a
window and having something to drink—usually a diet Coke, tea, or water. When I get frustrated, I take a break with a
computer version of my favorite board games—Ticket to Ride, Settlers of Catan,
or Puerto Rico.

--If you could have any superpower what would you choose?

The ability to speak all languages—Spanish, German, Hebrew,
Japanese, even Klingon. You can add the
language that whales and cardinals speak too.
I really do mean all of them.

--Besides writing, what do you like to do in your free time?

Reading is my favorite pastime. I also like playing European board games,
going for long walks, and experimenting with my guitar and watercolors (I’m a
total novice at both but they really ignite the neurons). I like spending time with my family too.

I would love to hear from you! (I always try to visit your blog back) I love links, so feel free to link to your blog or a post you like. Sorry, but I am award and tag free zone, I do not have the time to return. Comments are reward enough :)

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Welcome!

I am Brandi Kosiner and this is my personal book blog. I am a 30-something stay-at-home mom to two girls. I love going to Disney, playing video and board games with my husband. I love Young Adult books, with a focus on paranormal romance, fantasy, dystopia and contemporary, especially dealing with illnesses, tough issues such as cutting, eating disorders, issues at home, etc.

Feel free to contact me.with any questions or comments. I love to hear from you!

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I am a personal book blogger. I purchase my books for review, get them from a library, an arc tour, from author or publisher for review, but I am NOT PAID for this service. I do it for the love of books.

I do make some cash from Blogads and Google Adsense, but that money is purely for the ads, not the reviews. Money goes towards upkeep of blog and for giveaways.